Dental cleaning brush



July 9, 1929. s. R. TOUCHSTONE DENTAL CLEANING BRUSH Filed April 25, 1928 gnventoz Greta} 1: Maia/1e Pasta July 9; 1929.

UNITED STATES Application filed April 25,

This invention relates to a dentists brush for cleaning the teeth of his patients. Heretofore a brush has been employed for this purpose having bristles the'ends of which brush the teeth when the brush is in operation, but in practice the bristles are apt to engage the gum and injure it. The general object of this invention is to provide a dentists brush which is so constructed that such a brush cannot injure the gum. A'

. further object of the invention is to give the while the broad scope of the invention is pointedout in the appended claims.

In the drawing; which is upon an enlarged scale I Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the end of a hand piece broken away and illus trating the relation of the brush carried by it.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the brush and showinga portion of the metallic stem of the brush in side elevation.

Figure 3 is a view illustrating the mannet in which the brush operates andthis view indicates the outline of a tooth and gum. In this view the tool holder is represented as broken away and. the brush is shown partially in section and partially in elevation.

In practicing the invention I provide an inner brush and this brush is provided with" a guard of flexible material which operates toprotect the gum from contact with the inner brush. The inner brush can be constructed of any suitable material but is preferably formed of bristles.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the end of a dentlsts tool holder which is provided on its face with the usual boss 2 at the end of which the brush 3 is mounted.

The brush 3 includes an inner brush 4 preferably formed of bristles. This inner brush is mounted so that it is surrounded by an annular flexible rim 5. This rim 5 J V H 1,720,017, PATENT OFFICE.

GRADY R. TOUCHSTONE, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DENTAL CLEANING naesn.

1928. Serial 1V0. 272,581.

is preferably formed'as the rim of a cup 6 of flexible'material such as soft rubber. Any

suitable construction may be employed that will result in having the flexible rim surround the bristles. It is preferable, however, to construct the cup 6 with a cavity 7 in its end face so that the rim 5 forms the edge of this cup. The brush 4 has its butt end,8 set in the rubber and may be vulcanized in place so that the bristles will not become detached. The cup 6 is in the form of a frustum of a cone so that itpresents an inner end face 9. From this end face 9 a. metalistem 10 projects and this stem extends into the body ofthe cup and carries the cup 6. The end of the stem may be provided with any suitable means such as a clreumferential groove. 11 for enabling it to be secured to the usual mechanism in the holder 1 that enables the stem and brush to be rotated. formed intwo sections, the inner section'lO 1n the body of the brush being connected by screw thread 12 to the outer section 10". Referring to Figure 3, when the brush is in operation the end of the brush 4 spreads The stem 10- is preferably when the sameis held against the side 13 i of a tooth 14 but in spite of this spreading the ends of the bristles will be prevented from coming in contact with the gum indicated at 15 by reason of the rim 5 which is interposed between the bristles and the gum.

flexibility it does not interfere with the oper- 'ation of the brush, nor does it injure the gum by contact with it. In fact the slightly massaging effect on the gum from contact with the rim 5 is rather beneficial.

The rim 5 is relatively thin and due to its I By reason of the fact that the stem 10 is formed in sections, a worm brush can be unscrewed and replaced by another brush without the loss of the entire length of the stem.

In order to protect the driving mechanism within the holder 1 from any cleaning substance-used with the brush, the end face 9 of the cup is provided with a flexible collar 16 of rubber or similar material which is of concave-convex form and the concave side covers the end face of the boss 2.

In practice, when the brush is not in use,

the end of the bristles forming the inner brush 4 should lie a half millimeter from the plane of the end of the rim.

-- The cavity 7 in the cup may be employed to carry pumice stone orany other substance which it is desired to use with the brush.

When the brush is in use, it will be evident 7 that the rim 5 assists in retaining such a substance in contact with the inner brush.

5 The brush illustrated is, of course, a rotary 10 the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not Wish to be limited in the practice of the invention,nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is -15 1. In a dentists brush for cleaning teeth,

the combination of a cup of flexible material having a cavity with an annular rim, a brush i composed of bristles located in the cavity on the axis of the cup, and a stem carrying the cup and inner brush for rotating the 2( same.

2. In a dentists rotary brush for cleaning teeth, the combination of a cup of flexible material having a cavity at its end face, with an annularrnn around the cavity, and a 2 brush having bristles located centrally in the cavity for engaging the face of a tooth, the said rim operating to protect the gum from contact with the said bristles.

Signed at Los Angeles, California this 3( 19th day OfilAPl'll 1928.

GRADY R. TOUCHSTONE. 

